Chapter 782: Sealing the Dock
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
This was to prevent the Xie family from escaping from the docks in time.
The Liangzhou army had disguised themselves as bandits. Even if the Xie family suspected them, they did not have any evidence. The army could push everything to the Xie family and accuse them of disturbing the peace in Quanzhou and escaping for no reason.
The spy calmed down. “Lord, you’re wise.”
The head of the Jiazhou Residence looked at the growing fire and instructed the guards beside him, “Gather people immediately to evacuate the commoners and isolate the fire area. Mobilize the commoners to help the government put out the fire. Otherwise, once the fire spreads, the consequences will be unimaginable.”
If they waited for the fire to spread, before His Highness could enter Quanzhou, the black veil hat on his head would be the first to be lost.
Yin Shi carried Yu Youyao and quickly fled towards the city gate. Yin San and Chun Xiao were behind him. The wind screamed in their ears, revealing a chill that hurt their ears and numbed their faces.
Yu Youyao looked back in the direction of the Xie Residence. The sea of fire lit up the night, and there was a commotion in her ears.
Before she decided to start the fire, Yu Youyao’s mind raced for a short moment. The high wall of the Xie Residence was made of green bricks and could isolate the fire. The residence occupied a large area, and it would take some time for the fire to spread out of the residence. The flowers and the trees near the residence would be cut off and isolate the area of the fire so that the nearby residents wouldn’t be affected.
When they arrived at the city gate, Yin San took out the token of the Yue Fei’s Residence.
The soldiers guarding the door saw that they were behaving suspiciously and were even stained with a lot of blood. However, the token of the Yue Fei’s Residence could not be faked. They immediately did not dare to stop them and quickly opened the city gate to let them leave the city.
After leaving the city, the Xie family arranged for someone and a carriage to receive them.
When Yu Youyao found out that her maternal grandfather and eldest uncle had already left the secret passage and rushed to the docks, she couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief. “There are clothes and accessories prepared in the carriage. Hurry up and change your clothes first. The Jiazhou Residence will definitely think of a way to rush in front of us. The various docks in Quanzhou will be under martial law. The speed of the carriages is limited. We have to speed up and board the ship first.”
Yu Youyao changed into a green jacket dress and a waist-length gray rat fur cloak. She put up her hair simply and fixed it with a headband. She dipped a handkerchief in water and wiped her face clean. As expected, there was blood on it.
She pursed her lips. She wondered how many of the people who had left the Xie Residence could escape alive and instruct someone to pick them up.
After they changed their clothes, Yin Shi immediately unloaded the carriage. There were just two horses, so it was suitable for the two of them to ride one together.
This was Yu Youyao’s first time riding a horse. Yin Shi sat behind with the reins and wrapped her in his arms. Accompanied by the whistling cold wind and the strong bumps, Yu Youyao’s heart was about to jump out of her throat. The soft flesh on her inner thigh was scraped due to the bumping and hurt sharply.
However, she said nothing.
When the horse gradually stopped, Yu Youyao’s face was pale. Her legs were so weak and numb that she couldn’t even stand.
Seeing her ugly expression, Chun Xiao was shocked. “Young Miss…”
As she did not know the situation at the dock well, Yu Youyao stopped her. “Yin San, go to the dock to gather information and see how it goes.”
After a while, Yin San returned. “The docks aren’t under martial law yet.”
They finally heaved a sigh of relief. Without any delay, they rode to the dock, and soldiers came over to check.
Yin San took out King Yue Fei’s token and said that many areas in the North had suffered a drought. King Yue Fei took a portion of the military’s relief and sent them to Quanzhou to sell some military supplies.
With the token in hand, the soldiers did not dare to stop them.
Yu Youyao boarded the dock. There was a merchant ship parked at the dock. In order to avoid attracting attention, the Xie family had specially changed to a more old and low-key merchant ship.
Xie Jingliu guarded the deck and quickly went forward to pull Yu Youyao into the boat. “Are you alright?!”
Yu Youyao shook her head. “Grandfather, have Eldest Uncle and the others boarded the ship?”
Xie Jingliu nodded. “They’ve already boarded the ship. The secret passage at home leads straight out of the city, saving a lot of time. They’re all waiting for you. It’s windy outside. Hurry up and go in.”
Yu Youyao quickly entered the boat. The entire Xie family was waiting in the cabin. Seeing Yu Youyao board the boat, they couldn’t help but feel like they had survived a calamity.
They had originally thought that the plan to evacuate Quanzhou would be foolproof. Unexpectedly, news had leaked and the Jiazhou Residence had sent someone to kill them.
Old Madam Xie hugged Yu Youyao and cried, regretting leaving her behind.
Madam Wang was also wiping her tears.
Yu Youyao comforted her grandmother, her Eldest Aunt, and the others before mentioning that she had set the residence on fire.
The days she had been living in the Xie Residence were considered the most leisurely days in her life. Now that they had been reduced to ashes, she felt terrible.
It was difficult to leave their old residence, so the people from the Xie Residence couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
However, they also knew that under such circumstances, only by setting fire to the residence and causing a commotion could the Jiazhou Residence be wary of harming them. Only then could Little Youyao’er and the Xie Residence escape successfully.
Old Master Xie sighed softly. “It’s already very fortunate that Little Yao’er is fine. It’s good that the residence was burned down. Otherwise, the Jiazhou Residence will benefit. Our good residence will also be ruined.”
Old Madam Xie held Yu Youyao’s hand. “The residence is gone. We’ll just build it in the future. The most important thing is for the family to be neat. Don’t let your imagination run wild.”
Madam Wang also said, “After we leave Quanzhou, it’s not certain if the residence will be ours in the future. It’s fine if it’s burned.”
Everyone comforted Yu Youyao at once, afraid that she would feel terrible.
Actually, they were the ones who felt the most uncomfortable. Yu Youyao changed the topic. “The people who stayed in the residence fled separately. Let’s wait for another hour. We’ll set off immediately when the time is up.”
The Xie Residence had turned into a monstrous sea of fire. The Jiazhou Residence probably wouldn’t send anyone to chase after them anymore. As long as they were still alive, they would definitely be able to arrive in an hour.
In the next period of time, people rushed over one after another.
The first to rush over were the 50 elite troops under Yin Huaixi. Fifty of them had been through hundreds of battles. Although some of them were injured, they all survived.
More than ten guards who were guarding the Xie Residence also came.
However, before the hour was up, a loud shout from the soldiers came from the dock. “The government office of the state capital has ordered that thieves have infiltrated Quanzhou City to kill and set fires. From now on…”
Before the soldier could finish speaking, Xie Jingliu ordered in a low voice, “Set sail!”
“…Lock down all the docks in Quanzhou and capture the bandits with all your might. Any merchants and ships are not allowed to enter or leave the docks. Those who disobey will be treated as bandits.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the second-floor ship rushed out of the dock like an arrow leaving the bow.
The soldiers on the shore sensed that something was amiss. They raised their voices and shouted, “What are you doing? Stop the boat. Stop the boat quickly. Didn’t you hear the order from the government office?”
The merchant ship that left the dock ignored the soldiers’ warning.
“Everyone on the ship, listen up. Quanzhou’s dock has been sealed. No one is allowed to leave. Stop the ship immediately, or you’ll be treated as thieves.”